The 22nd Oath Swearing Ceremony took place on the 22nd of August, 2015 at the new CCB auditorium-KNUST. Both Medical doctors and Dental doctors were made to swear and were graduated in the presence of the officials of the university, invited dignitaries and the general public present that day.
As usual in such occasion the Vice Chancellor is made to deliver a speech. The vice chancellor, Prof Ellis William appealed to the government and the people of Ghana who have the capacity to support the growth of higher education by helping to fund the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Teaching Hospital to complement the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and to ease pressure on the University’s management and staff during admission.
Prof. Ellis made the appeal at the 22nd Induction and Swearing-in Ceremony of the KNUST School of Medical Sciences and the 4th Oath Swearing Ceremony of the Dental School. The ceremony was also used to launch the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the KNUST Medical School.
He said each year the University turned down many qualified applicants because KNUST did not have the capacity to admit more students. Prof Ellis stated that the first phase of the high technology teaching hospital was ongoing and more funds were needed to speed up construction works. He noted that investment in the teaching hospital would help ease pressure on existing facilities as well as help admit more students to prevent citizens from pursuing medical education in foreign countries.
He said the KNUST School of Medical Sciences (SMS) was established in the year 1975. It had over the years served as a trailblazer in the field of science and technology education in Ghana and Africa with a high reputation in the comity of tertiary institutions across the globe.
The SMS, with the original mandate of training physicians, medical scientists and medical laboratory technologists has evolved and expanded in all spheres. It currently trains postgraduate doctors for professional fellowship certification of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as the West Africa Postgraduate Medical College.
The University has also established a dental school which trains dental surgeons. In addition, the School of Veterinary Medicine was also added in 2009 to provide the needed manpower to address issues relating to public health, food security, animal health and welfare. The School of Public Health was also established last academic year for holistic health care training and education.
Prof. Ellis advised the new doctors to join their colleagues to prosecute Ghana’s development agenda, to remember the oath sworn and to live by its tenets.
